Sealing element



C. C. HARRAH SEALNG ELEMENT Filed Deo.

sept. 3o, 1941.

INVENTOR.

CMYmNG/ARRAH BY M wm 4 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 3A0, 1941 OFFICE SEALING ELEMENT Clayton C. Harrah,Niles, v tional Standard poration of Michigan mlllllnol'toNa- Niles,Mich., a cor- Applloation December C, 1939, Serial No. #07,799 v (Cl.2li-69) tclaima.

This invention relates to weatherstrlp and more particularly toweatherstrlp ior sealing around doors in vehicles and the like. y

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a weatherstrip whichis relatively inexpensive to make, easy to install and which forms atight seal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a weatherstrip which isilexlble in all directions.

This enables the strip to be bent around door openings without thenecessity oi any cutting so that a continuous strip of good appearanceis formed.

Still another object oi the invention is to provide a weatherstriphaving a reinforcing fastening flange which may be secured by tacks,staples, or the like, at substantially any point in its area. Thisgreatly facilitates installation and insures proper fastening ci thestrip.

The above and other objects, advantages and novel features of theinvention will be apparent from the following description when read inconnection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a piece of weatherstrip embodying theinvention;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 with the various elementsprogressively stripped away; and

Figure 3 is a transverse section.

'I'he illustrated weatherstrip comprises generally an elongated body llof yielding material and a dat reinforcing tape l2 having one edgeportion imbedded in the body. The body is covered with a fabric sheet Ilwhose edge portions loosely overlie the opposite sides. of the tape ilwhere it extends from the body in the form of anges I8.

The body III is preferably substantially cylindrical and may be formeelot a molded plastic material. One very satisfalbtory material is spongerubber which may be molded with the tape l2 and the cover Il in place sothat the tape is imbedded in the body and the cover Il adheres to it.According to another method of manufacture the body lo may be formediirst and slit lengthwise and the tape l! may be inserted in the slitand cemented in place. The cover Il may thereafter be cemented to thebody.

According to the present invention the tape i2 is formed by a ilat braidof metal wires, pref- A erably steel, crossing alternately over andunder each other diagonally of the braid and permanently set at theedges of the braid in relatively sharp bends. The wires may be bent atthe edges of the braid by expanding it widthwlse. this operation alsoopening up the interstices of the braid between the wires. A braid ofthis type is highly flexible in both tension and compression and thusmay be bent in the plane of its width while remaining in the same plane.

When the tape is imbedded in the rubber body lo. either by moldingin-place or by cementing, the material oir the body adheres to itselfthrough the interstices oi the braid around and between the wires andlocks the braid securely in place. If desired the wires may be plated orcoated with bonding lacquer so that the wires themselves will adhere tothe rubber.

In using the weatherstrip it may be fastened by tacks, or staples, orother suitable fastening means engaging the tape lI2 around a dooropening, or to a door with the body portion in a position to engage andseal against the door or door frame. Due to the flexibility of the tape,

vthe weatherstrip may be bent around the door or the opening without thenecessity for any cutting. As the strip is bent the body I0 may stretchor compress slightly as needed and the tape may move between the flangesI6 so that when the strip is installed it presents a smooth pleasantappearance of unbroken continuity.

Since the wires of the tape are evenly and relatively closely spaced, itis practically impossible to place a fastening at any point in the tapewithout engaging at least one wire. Thus the fastenings may be placedquickly and with a minimum of effort. Also since the wires oi the tapecross over and under each other they serve to brace and strengthen eachother so that periodically spaced fastenlngs at different points in thetape will create a relatively even yielding pressure holding the bodyportion Ill in sealing position.

While one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and describedin detail it will be understood that this is for the purpose ofillustration only and is not to be taken as a definition of the scope ofthe invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. A weatherstrip comprising an elongated body of yielding material anda flat tape formed of at least three braided metal wires crossing overand under each other .diagonally back and forth across the tape andformed with relatively sharp bends at the edges of the tape, one edge ofsaid tape being imbedded in said bod;r and the material of the `bodybeing secured to itself throughfthefinterstices o! the tape around andbetween the wires, and a sheet of nbr-ous material covering and securedto said body and having flange portions loosely overlying the oppositesides of the tape where it extends from the body.

2. A weatherstrip comprising an elongated cylindrical body formed ofsponge rubber and a. at tape formed of at least three braided metalwires crossing-'overland under each other diagonally back and forthacross the tape' and formed with relatively sharp bends at the edgesoffene; vI

me body and the rubber of the body being' bonded to itself through theinterstices of the tape around and between the wires, and a. sheet ofcloth fabric covering and secured to said rubber body and having flangeportions loosely overlying the opposite sides o! the tape where itextends !rom the body.

- r CLAYTON C. HARRAH.

